LIVIGNO, Italy – Chinese athlete Eileen Gu has made Olympic history by successfully defending her women’s halfpipe championship at the Winter Games, capturing her sixth Olympic medal to become the most accomplished freestyle skier in Olympic competition.
The 22-year-old athlete claimed gold on Sunday with a score of 94.75, overcoming a disappointing first run by delivering strong performances in her second and third attempts. Fellow Chinese competitor Li Fanghui earned the silver medal, while Britain’s Zoe Atkin took home bronze.
Gu’s latest victory adds to an impressive collection that includes silver medals in big air and slopestyle events at these same games in Livigno. Her medal count also features two gold medals and one silver from the Beijing Olympics held four years earlier on Chinese soil.
This achievement places Gu ahead of Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury at the pinnacle of Olympic freestyle skiing medal winners, breaking their previous tie for the record.
Li secured her silver medal position with a strong second run, then improved her performance to 93.00 points on her final attempt. World champion Atkin, who like Gu was born in America but competes for her parent’s home country, delivered her strongest performance of the competition but fell just short with a score of 92.50.
The competition faced a one-day delay due to heavy snowfall that forced organizers to postpone Saturday’s originally scheduled final at the Italian Alpine venue.
